As an avid San Jose Sharks fan for nine years, senior Sameera Kapur has seen a lot of losing hockey.
Last season, for instance, the team put up one of the statistically worst seasons since the ‘80s, ending with a 19-54-9 record. And in the 32-team league where half the teams make the playoffs annually, the last time they qualified was 2018-19.
Yet for Kapur, it isn’t about the wins and losses that dictates her support for her beloved team. She finds herself drawn to the Sharks due to the sense of community and shared experience fans like her face sticking with them through their highs and lows. Kapur feels for the fans that are around, it’s not just about the winning, but the sense of community and shared experience that comes with sticking with a team through its highs and lows.
Her passion for hockey is largely fueled by her Canadian heritage — she boasted that “hockey runs in the blood of Canadians.” Her dad watched the National Hockey League (NHL) in its golden days in the ‘90s and encouraged Kapur to play youth hockey starting at age 3. With such a connection to the support, Kapur developed considerable hometown spirit and emotional connection to the Sharks and began to attend their games frequently.
“I remember getting super excited about the Sharks elementary school reading program where the person in school who read the most books got a signed puck,” Kapur said. “I never got it, but I did get a picture with the mascot that was pretty cool.”
Many other Sharks fans have a similar backstory to Kapur, having supported the team for many years and seeing them lose most games in the 2020s. Because of this, Kapur feels the people who stick around are pretty ride-or-die for the team, and it makes for some great interactions between fans.
Her connection to the team has also been reinforced by her ability to interact with the players themselves. On top of the elementary school reading program, the team does pop-ups with free meet-and-greets in areas around the Bay Area.
Kapur tries to attend most home games. Despite their poor performance at the start of this NHL season, Kapur still has high hopes for the team’s future.
“Being a fan of the Sharks and hockey, even in an unconventional place without snow, is pretty fun because it’s like I’m in on a big inside joke anytime I see anything hockey related. Being a Sharks fan means taking a couple beatings, but we’ll come back,” Kapur said.
Kapur stays adamant that the team will improve. This season, the team has gone 5-10-4 as of Nov. 17, but players like veteran center and team captain Logan Couture, 2024 overall No. 1 draft pick 18-year-old Macklin Celebrini, 19-year-old center Will Smith and her favorite player to watch, 22-year-old forward William Eklund, bring her hope.
“Honestly, it’s tiring. No one likes to see their team suck. Hockey is also just so fast paced, and there’s so many games that you blow over losses pretty quickly,” Kapur said. “But we have a lot of young talent so the future is looking pretty optimistic.”
